Jan. 16, 1999

Northern State (13-3, 3-0 NSIC; No. 6 in nation) overcame a seven-point first half deficit and cold early shooting to pick up a 72-63 win at Minnesota-Duluth (8-9, 2-1 NSIC) Saturday and take an early lead in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference standings.

The Wolves shot just 33 percent and were down 30-23 after the first half, but came out of the locker room with an 11-4 run that tied the score at 34-34 and turned the tide of the game.

Sophomore reserve guard Jared Miller (Mitchell, S.D.) shouldered much of the team's scoring after that, exploding for 20 of the team's 38 points after the Wolves' initial run in the second stanza. Miller ended with a game-high 26 points. Senior forward Kyle Johnson (Coon Rapids, Minn.) ripped down a game-high 11 boards to go along with four assists. Senior forward Mark Rich (Aberdeen, S.D.) chipped in 11 points, eight boards and six assists. Chris Stanley led UMD with 16 points.

The Wolves stand alone atop the NSIC with a 3-0 mark, followed by Winona State (2-0) and UMD (2-1).